The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-26
Atlanta's Prohibition Contest.


Atlanta will settle question to-day which
is a very important one to her tits whether
barrooms shall be again opened within her
limits For two years they have been closed,
and this condition of affairs has given great
satisfaction to very large percentage OF
her citizens, if not to a majority Of them.
It is certain that it has the approval of a
very large majority of the law and order
element.
Both the ProhibitionistS and the Anti-Pro-
/ hibitionists are apparently confident of sue
cess. For more than month a very earnest
and enthusiastic campaign has been in
progress, The opposing factions have pre-
scented their arguments fully, and 1t is
doubtful if anything for or against prohi-
bition has been left unsaid.
The Prohibitionists have undoubtedly
made out stronger case against the rein
PRODUCTION into the town of saloons
than the liquor advocates have in favor
of their re-introduction. The attempt TO
show that the closing of the saloons has in
jured the city from business point of view
has failed and there is no doubt that the
morals of the city have shown steady inn
provement ever since prohibition went into
effect. The testimony of retail merchants
is that their business has been better during
the last two years than ever before, and
there is no doubt that worRingmen have
had more of the comforts, and even
luxuries, of life, because they have spent
their earnings for things calculated to make
their homes cheerful and their families
happy instead of for whisky.
1t is asserted of course by the Anti
Prohibitionists that whisky was sold not
outstanding the law against its sale, and
that there was more drunkenness than If
liquor had been openly sold. The facts,
however, do not bear out this assertion-at
least the facts which the Prohibionists pre-
sent do not. According to their showing
drunkenness and all kinds of crimes have
steadily decreased. What the exact truth
is it is impossible probably to find out with
any satisfactory degree of accuracy
1t may be assumed as certain that if the
Prohibitionists are successful to-day whisky
as beverage will almost wholly disappear
from Atlanta. 1t is charged, and with
some reason, that during the whole two
years that the law has been in force, there
has been persistent effort on the part of the
Anti Prohibitionists to show that the law is
a failure They were doubtless looking for
ward to another contest at the polls and were
doing what they could to prejudice the peo-
pie against prohibition. If they could make
it evident that the prohibitory law
did not prohibit, they believed, no doubt,
that they would be able to secure its repeal
at the end of the two years for which it had
been adopted Some of them, therefore.
have left no means untried to Sc surrepti
tiously as much whisky as they could. If
whisky is voted out again, however, there is
every reason for thinking that Atlanta will
become permanently a prohibition town.
There is enough moral backbone there to see
that the prohibitory law is enforced.
1t is true that in Maine cities there is
a great deal of whisky drinking, although
all of them are under the prohibitory law.
The reason is that the moral sentiment of
the people of that State with regard to
whisky is not as strong as it ought to be,
and the officers, therefore, whose duty it is
to arrest those engaged in violating the law
have become comparatively Indifferent
about the matter. If the Prohibitionists in
Atlanta, however. are victorious to-day
they will see to it that whisky is not sold,
either openly or sureptitiously, in their
town. Prohibition is a success in nearly 100
counties in Georgia, and it can be made a
success in Atlanta.